Better Lives | Assisting families, schools & children

After 3 years of maintaining a productive vegetable garden, the father of the MGA family is finally seeing his biggest dream come true: his family...

Mt Kilimanjaro – Family makes major strides with livestock and home improvement projects – 15 Aug 2016

15 Aug 2016

Sam Barnes

Mr. BMM, his wife, and their 12 kids have worked as a strong team to maintain their vegetable garden, increase their income, and improve their...

Mt. Kilimanjaro, TZ – Strong teamwork completes water infrastructure Phase 1 – 10 August 2016

10 Aug 2016

Sam Barnes

Phase 1 infrastructure is complete on the Mkyashi Water Project. The first phase provides nine families with direct connections to clean water at their homes....

Kikondo, UG – Grandmother opens garden for grandchildren’s health – 5 Aug 2016

05 Aug 2016

Sam Barnes

When the grandmother of the OCM family saw Wamukisa’s demonstration vegetable garden, she knew she would do whatever was necessary to start her own garden. She...

Siem Reap, KH – Kendrick School students from UK help with community programs – 5 Aug 2016

05 Aug 2016

Michael Oliver

From July 21st – 25th, a group of seventeen students (aged between 15 and 17) and two teachers from Kendrick School in England visited the...

Utete, TZ – KCM increases community impact while moving towards sustainability – 29 Jul 2016

29 Jul 2016

Sam Barnes

KCM Garden Shop is now supplying the local kindergarten with vegetables five days per week. They have also completed preparations for a watermelon farming project...

Mt. Kilimanjaro, TZ – Competition increases as store become cash flow positive – 26 Jul 2016

26 Jul 2016

Sam Barnes

June marked the second consecutive month of positive net income for Lishe Bora’s agriculture supply store. The store brought revenues of 677,300 TZS (US $322)...

Moshi, TZ – School garden clubs overcome challenge, prepare to plant first crop – 22 Jul 2016

22 Jul 2016

Sam Barnes

School garden clubs in Maendeleo, Mwangaria, and Oria primary schools are preparing to plant their first major crop for use in the school breakfast recipe....

Battambang, KH – Beechwood students travel from UK to help garden shop and families – 22 Jul 2016

22 Jul 2016

Michael Oliver

From July 5th – 14th, the Healthy Life Garden Shop hosted thirteen students (aged between 15 and 18) and two teachers from Beechwood School in...

Moshi, TZ – Schools dig into high, clean, constant water table – 20 Jul 2016

20 Jul 2016

Sam Barnes

Maendeleo and Oria primary schools are thankful for their good luck in digging into an “underground river” which should provide a clean and constant source...

Los Alamitos, USA – Preparing for life in the adult world – Jul 2016

13 Jul 2016

Chris Wade

Dear Better Lives, I am very grateful for The Youth Center’s Leadership Academy, which I recently attended, as it helped me to prepare for life...

Moshi, TZ – Schools progressing towards sustainable breakfast program – 5 July 2016

05 Jul 2016

Sam Barnes

Land-preparation for school breakfast farms is progressing towards a goal of sustainable self-reliance in Kahe. Tupendane has collaborated with three primary schools to clear, plow,...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Community banking group supports ill member – 1 July 2016

01 Jul 2016

Sam Barnes

The grandfather of the EKL family is grateful to his fellow community bank members for helping him in a time of need. He expressed his...

Battambang, KH – Dara is a good brother and role model – 1 Jul 2016

01 Jul 2016

Michael Oliver

Dara, a 16-year-old student in Grade 8, has been coming to the CFI learning center for five years. With five siblings and dozens of younger...

Kikondo, UG – First family sets out to be an example in their community – 29 June 2016

29 Jun 2016

Sam Barnes

The TMM family is the first family in Kikondo to begin a family vegetable garden. After attending Wamukisa’s garden building training on 1 June 2016...

Siem Reap, KH – SCP saves money from garden to build pig pen – 24 Jun 2016

24 Jun 2016

Michael Oliver

The SCP family saved enough money by selling vegetables from their vegetable garden to build a small pig pen and start fattening pigs. He said...

Moshi, TZ – New kitchen improves sanitation and efficiency of school breakfast – 13 June 2016

13 Jun 2016

Sam Barnes

Students and teachers at Mwangaria Primary School are happy to have a new kitchen that will improve the hygiene and efficiency of cooking school breakfast....

Mt. Kilimanjaro, TZ – Employee celebrates birth of a calf from dairy cow loan – 10 Jun 2016

11 Jun 2016

Sam Barnes

Lishe Bora garden shop employee Eliza and her family are celebrating the birth of their new calf. They have waited almost six months for their...

Siem Reap, KH – CC imitates brother and expands his organic vegetable garden – 10 Jun 2016

10 Jun 2016

Michael Oliver

Mr. CC has imitated his brother, CWC, in expanding his organic vegetable garden in order to grow and sell more vegetables. This year, he was...

Siem Reap, KH – SHR uses garden’s income to repair house – 10 Jun 2016

10 Jun 2016

Michael Oliver

SHR lives with his wife and two children in Peaksneng village. They joined Peaksneng Thormacheat organic vegetable garden program in 2015 and have been able...

Mt Kilimanjaro, TZ – Family learns to save and invest as part of VICOBA – 1 June 2016

06 Jun 2016

Sam Barnes

The ADK family is learning to save and invest money as members of a VICOBA community banking group. As a result of their saving, they recently...

Moshi, TZ – Strong community turn out makes fast work of land-clearing – 6 Jun 2016

06 Jun 2016

Sam Barnes

Parents at three schools have finished clearing 8 acres which will be used to grow ingredients for school breakfast. The clearing was no small task....

Kikondo, UG – Recycled plastic containers become low cost watering cans – 3 June 2016

03 Jun 2016

Sam Barnes

Wamukisa garden shop is helping families improve their lives through small, sustainable steps. They have created a garden watering solution to match their approach. A...

Kikondo, UG – Example families set to lead community in organic vegetable growing – 1 Jun 2016

01 Jun 2016

Sam Barnes

Wamukisa selected five families to attend their first “Organic Vegetable Gardening: Design & Build” training on Tuesday, May 31. The families were selected by Wamukisa...

Ngara, TZ – Garden shop employee using skills to start new project – 27 May 2016

27 May 2016

Sam Barnes

Elias joined the SODAT garden shop in March 2015. In September of that year he started a vegetable garden with two neighboring families. His experience...

Siem Reap, KH – EL family starts shop with income from garden and livestock – 27 May 2016

27 May 2016

Michael Oliver

EL and his wife started a small shop on the road to Siem Reap where they sell various daily essential items. They built the shop...

Ngara, TZ – School garden club working shoulder to shoulder with garden shop – 20 May 2016

20 May 2016

Sam Barnes

SODAT is expanding its partnership with Mukibogoye Primary School by collaborating to develop a school farm that can sustainably provide daily breakfast to the 800...

Moshi, TZ – Three schools set to pilot sustainable school breakfast farm – 20 May 2016

20 May 2016

Sam Barnes

Three primary schools in Kahe Ward are piloting a new project to sustainably provide daily breakfast to students by growing food at school. Maendeleo, Mwangaria,...